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(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 B. A. LEGG;

DRIVE CHAIN.

No. 376,325. 94 Patented Jan. 10, 1888..

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U ITED STATES PATENT OFFI E.

BENJAMIN A. LEGG, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO JOSEPH A.

JEFFREY, or SAME PLACE.

DRIVE-CHAIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0, 376,325, dated January10, 1888.

Application riled April 19, 1884. Serial No. 128,553. (Model) elevationwith the links in such position that the parts may be detached from eachother. Figs. 4., 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 are details. Fig. 12 is'atransverse section on line at at, Fig. 2. Fig. 13 is a transversesection on line y 3 Fig. 3. Fig. 14*shows a modification.

This chain belongs to that class in which there is employed side barsarrangedin pairs, which are connected by means of removable 'end barsand interposed spacing-thimbles or tubular sections under suchaponstructiou of parts that the end bars serve not only to connect eachlink with the adjacent link, but also to keep the members of each pairof side bars from spreading laterally, the spacing-thimbles or tubularsections also serving sometimes as anti-friction rollers,'theconstruction and arrangement of parts being also such that the end barscan be detached from the side bars by an endwise movement only when theparts are in positions different from those which they ordinarily occupywhen the chain is in use and running over sprocket-wheels.

I will first describe in detail the construction of the various partsand afterward explain their relation to each other when united to form achain and placed in different relative positions.

Referring to the drawings, A B G is one of the side bars, the part Bbeing expanded and provided with a circular opening to receive the endbar, to be hereinafter described.

b is a notch or recess formed in the wall of this circularseat. In thedrawings it is shown formed in that part of the wall which is nearest tothe central section, A, of the side bar; but it might be placedelsewhere, although. I prefer it where shown, because, if made in someother part'of the seat, it might unduly weaken that end of the bar.

different in construction from that shown at A B C, andare constructedsubstantially as follows:

Eis the intermediate part, provided with two laterally-projecting ears,e e. The part F is expanded and provided with a circular seat to receivethe end bar, and is of less thickness than the intermediate part, E. Thepart G is also expandedand provided with a circular seat to receive theend bar, and has a tubular section or sleeve, D, the opening throughwhich is also adapted to receive and fit closely to the end bar.

I I is a keeper, the part I of which is provided with an oblongor-rectangular central slot, 13, the shank portion being firmly attachedto the intermediate part, E, of the side bar, preferably by bending downthe ears 6 e, the keeper being first placed in such position that itsopening shall be substantially opposite to the end-bar seat through thepart G of the link. 7 v r In practice Iprefer to cast the ears or lugs ee upon the intermediate part and projecting at right angles -therefrom,as shown at the right-hand end of Figs. 1, 2, 3, to facilitate drawingthe pattern from the sand in mold-' ing, and as these side bars areusually made of malleable iron the cars can be bent down upon the shankI of the keeper after the latter has been placed in position, as isindicated at the central part of Figs. 2 and 3 and in Figs. 7, 8, and12; but I do not wish to be limited to either of these methods ofattaching the keeper to the side bar, because it might be done in manyother ways. For instance, the shank might have a circular or angularhole in it, as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 13, the side bar beingcast with a corresponding lug, which could be riveted down after thekeeper is placed in position; or the lugs might be cast with grooves intheir inner faces to receive the edges of the shank of the keeper, theinner end of which might be upset after insertion, so as to hold itfirmly in place; or other modified constructions may be employed to holdthe keeper in place. As shown in the drawings, particularly in Figs. 8and 12, the keeper may be made with an offset or shoulder at 2', so asto increase the width of the throat or space between the enlarged end Iand the adjacent face of the part G of theend bar to receive the part Bof the adjacent link.

K L M is the end bar, and all the end bars in a chain may be exactduplicates of each other. The part K is by preference circular incross-section and of uniform diameter throughout, except that at oneend, near the head M, there is a projecting lug or spur, Ia, and Iusually prefer to make the part K of such diameter as to fit closely theseats formed for its reception in the side bar, and also the openingsthrough the tubular projections, sleeves, or thimbles I). The fiat headM will not pass through the opening in the end B of the side bar. At theopposite end the end bar is reduced in diameter and provided withalocking-plate, L, which is oblong or rectangular in shape, its widthbeing about equal to the diameter of the reduced portion of the end bar,its longer diameter being about equal to the diameter of the part K ofthe end bar, thus leaving throats Z, (see Figs. 9 and 10,) adapted toreceive the keeper, as will be explained.

By an examination of the drawings it will be readily understood thatwhen the side bars arein the position shown in Fig. 3 the end bar can bethrust through them, and also through the keeper if it (the end bar) beheld in such position that the lug k will enter the notch b,- and itwill also be understood that if, after the end bar has been thrust intoplace, the links are straightened out the end bar will be turned aquarter of the way round upon its own axis by reason of the engagementof the lug with the walls of the notch, and thus the lockingplate L willbe turned crosswise of the opening 1' in the keeper, so that the end barcannot be withdrawn from the side bars, and therefore the parts of thechain will be held firmly in proper position, and cannot be detachedfrom each other, except after being moved into the unusual relativeposition shown in Figs. 3 and 13. From the fact that the lengthwise pullupon the end bar and the resulting sidewise pull upon the keeper isresisted by the end F, which is interposed between the keeper and theadjacent end G of the side bar in each link, the keeper may be made ofquite thin metal, and there is little or no strain thrown upon thedevice by which it is attached to its side bar.

N is an anti-friction roller mounted upon the tubular sections orthimbles D D 5 but I do not wish to be limited to the employment ofthese rollers, because under many circumstances the chains will operatesatisfactorily without them.

By reason of the parts B O F G being thinner than the intermediateparts, A E, respect ively, of the links, the outer edges of the chainare in substantially parallel planes, thus constituting what is commonlyknown as a ribbon-chain, and although such reduction in thickness inthese parts B G F G results in the formation of shoulders or offsets, asat af 9, yet these shoulders perform no function whatever in the chain,and are merely incidental to the peculiar structure of these links,having comparatively thin ends. In fact, as the chain is constructed itis impossible for the shoulders to ever come in'contact with the ends ofthe adjacent links, as they do in another class of chains, where suchshoulders are employed to prevent accidental displacementor separationof the links from each other.

lVhile in practice I prefer to make this chain of malleable iron, I donot wish to be limited thereby, asit may be made ofany suitablematerial.

I prefer to form the sleeves or thimbles in short sections, as shown,and to cast them integrally with the side bars, and also to make theopenings through them of such size as to fit the end bars closely, inorder to provide wearing-surfaces of greater extent, it being evidentthat the end bars are locked firmly to the ends B B of the side bars;but I do not wish to be limited to such construction, because my chainmight be made with a simple spacing-thimble mounted on the end bar andserving to keep the side bars a proper distance apart; or theanti-friction roller might be made to perform the same function; or aspacing-thimble and anti-friction roller both mightbe mounted upon eachend bar without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I am aware that chain-links have been constructed with a tubular end barand side bars, each attached at one end to the tubular end bar and castintegrally therewith, a number of such links being connected together bymeans of pintles, each of which is seated in one of the tubular end barsand is connected to the forked end of an adjacent link; but my inventionrelates to an entirely difierent class of chains, in which the end barsare not tubular, but are adapted to receive anti-friction rollers, andin which the side bars of each link are separable and require either ananti-friction roller or other equivalent of a spacing-thimble to beplaced upon the end bar to keep the side bars a proper distance apart,or else that the end bar be made of increased diameter in the center, sothat it shall have shoulders against which the inner faces of the sidebars shall abut, and thus be kept apart, substantially as is done in thewell-known types of chains. In this latter construction it might befound desirable to employ a locking-plate, I I, at each end of the endbar, although in practice I prefer the construction shown.

\Vhat I claim is 1. In a drive-chain, the combination of the side bars,the end bars or pintles, the sleeves attached to the side bars andsurrounding the pintles, the latter being locked in their seats, so asto be incapable of rotation relative to their surrounding sleeves, andthe keepers attached to and carried by the side bars and engaging withthe notches or recesses in the pintles, so as to prevent accidentaldisplacement of the end bars when the links of the chain are in ordinaryworking relation, substantially as set forth.

2. In a drive-chaiir the side bar provided with-the keeper permanentlyattached thereto, said keeper having the rectangular opening 2', adaptedto receive the end of the end bar, substantially as set forth.

, 3. In a drivechain, the side bar provided with projecting ears 6 6,adapted to receive and retain the keeper, substantially as set forth.

4. In a drive-chain, the combination, with the separable side bars, A BO and E F G, provided with the keeper projecting at the side of the endG, whereby there is formed a throat for the end F of an adjacent link,of the end bar provided with the locking-plate, substantially as setforth.

5. In a drive-chain, the combination, with a series of links arranged tooverlap each other at their ends and keepers having elongated openings,of removable pintles having at their ends expanding heads, each pintl'e'having a projection intermediate the expanded heads, and adapted toengage with one of the links and prevent rotation of the pintle relativeto said link, substantially as set forth.

In testimony WhereofI affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' BENJAMIN A. LEGG. Witnesses:

THEO. YooKUM, CHARLES W. MILLER.

